Volunteer Opportunities

Since 1981, thousands of volunteers have donated their time, talent, and financial resources to become the face of the organization you see today. Learn more about meaningful volunteer opportunities with Duo at our office in St. Louis, MO. Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older and complete orientation and additional training, where applicable.

To apply to be a Duo Dogs Volunteer, complete your application here. 

Whelper Helpers

Our Snuggle Experts — Whelpers give our puppies their best start to life. They provide 24/7 care to future service dogs from birth to 8 weeks. This may include bottle feeding, cleaning the whelping box and potty box, laundry, feeding, play-time as well as documentation.

Volunteer Puppy Raisers

Our Pipeline to Success — Puppy Raisers raise a future assistance dog in your home from 8 weeks to around 18 months and provide not only basic obedience training but also exposure to the world around them in their home, getting them ready to be paired with a client. Attendance at weekly assistance dog training classes and documenting their progress is required. Expenses are covered by Duo Dogs.

Touch Therapy Teams

Our Joy Bringers — These volunteers bring in their personal dogs for training and certification to work in the community, bringing comfort to people in hospitals, hospice, and other facilities. Our Paws for Reading volunteers work with children to improve reading skills by offering their dog as a non-judgmental ear. To learn more about the Touch Therapy program click here.

Kennel Enrichment

Our Playground Monitors — These volunteers enrich the day for our dogs in their advanced stages of training. Volunteers conduct on-site play-time, exercise, and potty breaks.

Office Support

Our Face at the Door — Office volunteers provide our organization with reliable support and a warm welcome to our visitors. Responsibilities may include data entry, filing, copying and printing, answering the phone, assembly of manuals or assistance with mailings.

Special Events

Our Party Animals — We have great events throughout the year. Volunteers are needed to sell raffle-type tickets, assist with check-in/check-out, and obtain donors purchases for the event. They may also be asked to judge trivia, help with event set-up, and manage gift baskets (including preparation, display and monitoring).

Other Opportunities

Young Friends of Duo

The Young Friends of Duo Dogs are a group of people ages 21-40 who work to spread the mission and vision of Duo Dogs amongst their peers and help with fundraising for the organization. The group participates in monthly volunteer activities and plans a fundraiser each year.

Corporate Matching Portal

Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will double—sometimes even triple—any charitable contributions made by their employees, retirees, or spouses. In some cases, even volunteer hours are matched!  Click here for more details.